LinkF16SimDude wrote:And it's manned. An odd thing in this day and age.

They had to put a seat in it so you can take V.I.P's for a ride. Why do you think the F-22 got canned. No back seat and it cost to much to let some desk jocky jump in it. So they just added a seat to the new UCAV's.

TSFG

Stealth, so the bad guys don't know your there till they start blowing up. Have a nice day!

Interesting concept rendering. Looks to me like an evolved YF-23 design with some F-22 in it. I'd immediately question the area of maneuverability in the concept as well as payload, but can see the increase in speed, range and stealth.

Of course, this is most likely an exercise of brainstorming and a would-be 6th Gen Fighter, either a LM or Boeing design, will most likely look totally different.

The requirement for the F-22 follow on has been stated as a 60,000 lb aircraft as opposed to the 40,000 lbs of the NGAD which the F-22 follow on will share some systems with. That's not a single engine aircraft, neither is the NGAD. Of course when it even gets near technology demonstration is anyone's guess now.

Scorpion1alpha wrote:Interesting concept rendering. Looks to me like an evolved YF-23 design with some F-22 in it. I'd immediately question the area of maneuverability in the concept as well as payload,

Big wing, big tail, and probably fluidic TVC so it'd likely have plenty of it. Also, absolute manueverability is becoming less and less critical. Once you're limited by the pilot's physiology more manueverability is unusable. And even "supermanuevability" isn't going to come close to enabling one to escape a HOBS missile.

sferrin wrote: Also, absolutely manueverability is becoming less and less critical. Once you're limited by the pilot's physiology more manueverability is unusable. And even "supermanuevability" isn't going to come close to enabling one to escape a HOBS missile.

Exactly. Even an F-16 is easily capable of bringing about G-LOC, in a hurry, and the AAMs that will be available by the time a 6th Gen fighter reaches IOC, will certainly be far more lethal that what is now available.

I guess that by 2030 the forum will have been renamed F-35.net and the debate will be about buying/pouring more money into upgrading and extending the life of the legacy F-35 fleet in lieu of the new 6Gen bird w/c will be in SDD and no doubt encountering the expected difficulties. By then hopefully we'll know more about the PAK-Fa and J-20 and there will be a new generation of Kopps, Spreys and Wheelers to cast gloom and doom. See you around..
LOL